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Back to Resource CentreThis month’s Info Sheet can be kept as a reference when discussing standard paper sizes, this becomes important when ordering your business printing as collateral not printed to standard size (use table below) can mean paper wastage and cost inefficiencies.
Paper mills around the world all produce A1 sheets as their standard paper size. Each sheet of A1 can be trimmed into 8 x A4 sheets of paper (the standard size of paper you use in the photocopier).
Paper can be purchased in sizes other than these international paper sizes depending on the size of your finished product, therefore eliminating waste by using the smallest sheet you can and discarding additional processes post printing like Guillotining [various machines in which a vertical blade between two parallel uprights descends to cut or trim paper]. You can reduce the amount of paper offcut and wastage dramatically. Different printing presses and equipment require different grips and margins and for this reason it is always best to consult your printer or print consultant.
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For large printing runs you can talk to your printer about sheeting paper, or about indenting [buying paper from the mill direct] which can reduce cost and wastage - but be mindful about lead times when importing stock. It can take up to 3 months for a paper stock to be imported from overseas.
Specialty stocks come at size from the mill. You need to be careful when selecting a specialty stock that you take into consideration grain direction, texture, finish and watermarking. Grain direction is important for use in laser printers and the finish determines how acceptable it is to certain laser or ink jet printers and watermarking because the direction of watermarking determines the direction of the grain. The most important thing with speciality stocks is that they are constantly changing. There are thousands of speciality stocks throughout the world and the one you choose for your letterheads this year may not be in vogue next year, therefore if you don't want to update to a different stock it is wise to speak with your printer who will advise which papers will be readily available year in and year out.
The fibre that makes up the paper can be sugarcane, virgin wood, farm timber or recycled pulp, or it can be oxygen bleached or chemical bleached. Most papers are not chemical bleached any longer. Because the cheaper the paper the cheaper the production methods, being virgin forest timbers, chlorine bleaching and other unsustainable practices, it is best to check the lineage of the paper stock with your printer and consider choosing to pay a little more for an environmentally sustainable product.
Paper is then coated from the raw product, like bond, with products such as calcite [clay] to achieve a smooth finish. It is calendered [polished], with matt paper they give it one or two calenderings, with satin finish paper they calender it a little more and with gloss finished stocks they calender to achieve the highly gloss finish desired by many advertising agencies. Calendering paper takes off the surface just like any polishing techique does and that's why a 200gsm gloss paper will feel thinner than a 200gsm bond paper or uncoated paper.
Different paper stocks have different surfaces, uncoated, matt, satin, gloss and many more. These different surfaces cause varying results on your finished product. Consider a piece of butcher's paper and a gloss ceramic tile, a droplet of water will soak in and spread to twice it size on butcher's paper, whereas it will stay within its confines of the droplet on the tile. The same affect occurs with your printing dot, therefore you would expect considerable dot gain on uncoated paper as compared to a sharper dot on gloss paper. Visually this can make your photos look muddy [bogged in] on the bond paper and clear on the gloss paper. What does this mean to your print work? When designing the job you should allow for the dot gain by using a more open screen ruling, again discuss this with your printer while designing your work. You can also make sure your pictures are not too heavy to start with and you can consider the use of UCR [under colour removal] which reduces the CMY and increases the black slightly, therefore giving a more even ink balance.
For further information on printing your next project, please telephone Sue Wickenden or Peter Dowse in Brisbane on 1300 762 786 or email sales@smartype.com.au
